*Part 2 in the Cultivating Calmness In Motherhood series.
Every mother struggles at some point with confidence in motherhood. When I was a young mother, I felt like I had something to prove, and to some extent, we as mothers feel that way. We easily fall in that comparison trap with the mom next door, or the mom at church, or the seemingly perfect mom in Target.
You know, the mom who has four well-behaved children around her as she sips her Starbucks latte. While you, on the other hand, are struggling to corral two children while still wearing yesterday’s makeup, last week’s yoga pants, and a 3-month-old pedicure. TRUE STORY
While this little anecdote isn’t exactly a weakness, feeling like you’re a lesser mom than someone else and focusing on what you could be or should be is a weakness. The more we entertain these doubts of our imperfections, the weaker we feel. The result is we’re left with little to no confidence in our abilities as mothers.
Acknowledging our weakness and asking for help isn’t always easy but it’s essential to reclaiming our confidence in our calling as mothers.
Acknowledging Your Weakness
1. Remember Your Calling
Ask the Lord to give you clarity to reaffirm your calling and confidence in your motherhood. Remember that He called you to this amazing and worshipful work of being mother to your children. He promises to walk alongside you in this journey until the end.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
2. Rejoice In Your Weaknesses
I know this seems quite strange. Have you ever seen anyone rejoice in their weaknesses? I haven’t seen very many. That’s because many of us believe we have to live a certain way to gain acceptance. Perhaps we think that if others really knew our weaknesses, they would think less of us as mothers.
Dear Friend, that is not so with Christ! 2 Corinthians 2:19 says, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
When we acknowledge our weaknesses and give them over to Christ, His power rests upon us. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. We cannot, but He can. Ask Him to help you so He can make His strength clear in your motherhood.
It is NEVER easy to acknowledge our weaknesses but it is an essential part of reclaiming confidence in your motherhood.
When you acknowledge your weaknesses, you can boldly proclaim God’s power and strength over them. You’ll realize that you don’t have the strength but He does
Reclaim Your Confidence In Motherhood
1. Ask Help From the Lord
I John 5:14 tells us “that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us”. The Lord’s assignment for you in this season is to be “mother.” He knows your heart and He desires for you to seek Him for help. As you daily approach Him, lay your burdens down and ask Him for confidence in your calling.
2. Ask Help From Friends and Family
I know we all have friends and family who desire to help us in anything we need. Often, we just need to talk about the things that give us anxiety and a lack of confidence as mothers. Because, here’s the thing – if we don’t acknowledge our need to relinquish anxiety, we will remain stationary in our lives. Surround yourself with friends and family who will listen to your desire for help, take your hand and walk into God’ grace with you.
Acknowledging our weakness is a hard and weighty task but you are not alone.
Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
-Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
I recently did a video series on Cultivating Calmness In Motherhood on my Facebook page.
You can find the video for this post and Part 1 – Clarity in Your Calling on this page as well. I’d love to send you a FREE 5 day Cultivating Calmness Devotional to encourage you in this journey when you subscribe to my newsletter.
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Rest In Him,
